The combined efforts and visual effects wizardry of the multiple Oscar-winning Weta Digital—the visionary special effects company behind “King Kong” and the cultural phenom, “Avatar”—have pushed realism to the extreme to deliver a theme park ride of epic proportions. The new Universal Studio Tour attraction combines an immersive 3-D and supercharged motion-based effects that place guests in the middle of one of the greatest battles of all time.

“King Kong 360 3-D” created by Peter Jackson, the world’s largest most intense 3-D experience, has opened on the famed Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour, combining a ground-breaking use of Surround Digital 3-D film and thrilling visceral effects to create a next-generation theme park experience.

The world premiere of the attraction featured a star-studded guest list and an innovative “3-D press briefing” by the attraction’s creator, Peter Jackson. “King Kong 360 3-D” is the first theme park attraction to be directed by the three-time Oscar®-winning storyteller and filmmaker.

In the new attraction, guests aboard Studio Tour trams are given special 3-D glasses as they enter an enormous soundstage larger than a football field. Once inside, the trams are enveloped within enormous screens, their size equaling an area equivalent to 16 conventional movie screens and rest atop steel platens that provide a powerful motion base. Via the magic of Surround Digital 3-D projection, guests are transported deep into a tangled jungle location. There, they survive a close encounter with a swarm of hungry raptors, only to be confronted by the terrifying presence of 35’ tall dinosaurs. Suddenly, the 25’ tall Kong gorilla appears. The trams roll and shudder as the guests find themselves caught in the middle of a titanic struggle between the great ape and carnivorous reptiles.

The enormous scale and the cutting edge technology employed by the designers elevate the powerful, iconic storyline to a new level. The vivid realism of the 3-D immersion and the synchronized motion of the tram combine to produce a sense of immersion without precedent in a theme park attraction.

Peter Jackson, director of the Oscar®-winning 2005 Universal Pictures film upon which the attraction is based, said: “As a filmmaker, you’re hoping to have the audience step inside your movie and become part of the experience…to create the illusion of reality in a way that is much more tactile and profound than can be done in the cinema environment of a normal theatre. The new ‘King Kong 360 3-D’ at Universal Studios Hollywood provided us with a unique opportunity to really push film and theme park technology to create that illusion. Our intention was to create a spectacular and immersive 3-D experience and we’re confident that we’ve achieved that. King Kong 360 3-D is the largest most intense 3-D experience on the planet.”

Larry Kurzweil, President, Universal Studios Hollywood, said: “After a two-year absence, King Kong has returned with a vengeance never before seen. Guests from around the world will feel as if they are immersed in Peter Jackson’s 3-D storytelling. King Kong 360-3-D is the fight of the century and a highly repeatable breakthrough thrill ride, taking theme park and movie making experiences to an entirely new level.”

The arrival of the new “King Kong 360 3-D” experience coincides with major enhancements to the iconic Studio Tour. The most extensive backlot construction ever in the history of Universal Studios, which includes re-creations of legendary Hollywood sets and the introduction of brand-new shooting locations, was recently completed and the renowned studio will soon buzz with star-studded film and television production as never before.

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